US1760873A - Roofing element with thickened butt edges and method of making the same - Google Patents

Description

. June 3, 1930. L KIRSCH BRAUN 1,760,873 ROOFING ELEMENT WITH THICKENED T EDGES I AND M OD MAKIN HE E i ed y 31 26 r \r w I l i VIII/I l Ink/adv)":

' ZEeZerfiZrwizZr i I I I 7 Patented June 3, 1930 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE LESTER KIRSCHBRAUN, OF LEONIA, NEW JERSEY, ASSIGNOR, BY MESNE ASSIGNMENTS, TO THE PATENT AND LICENSING CORPORATION, OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, A

CORPORATION OF MASSACHUSETTS ROOFING ELEMENT WITH THICKENED BUTT .ECDGES AND METHOD OF- MAKING- THE SAME Y Application filed July 31, 1926. 'Serial No. 126,279.

This invention relates to fabricated roof ing elements and has special reference to elements formed with a relatively narrow bead or line of extra thickness adjacent to the butt edge thereof.

Roofing of the type referred to is customarily made of felted fibrous sheet material composed of rag or asbestos fiber or the like, felted together on a paper-making machine. This fibrous sheet material is somewhat loose and porous in structure so as to be capable of taking up a considerable quantity of liquid saturant. Suitable waterproofiing material, such as low melting-point asphalt, pitch or the like, is used to impregnate the fibrous sheet, after which it is coated with high melting-point asphalt to provide an impervious protecting layer which will be thoroughly waterproof and will not run or flow under the heat of the sun when laid on the roof. The asphalt coating Where exposed to the weather is usually protected by a layer of mineral granular material such as crushed slate, tile, brick, or the like, which is applied to the asphalt coating While the latter is still hot and sticky. Enough of the granular material is pressed into and partially em bedded in the asphalt coating to cover the same completely and to protect it from the direct action of the Weather. From sheet material thus prepared by impregnating, coating and slatmg, as described, individual roofing elements of any desired shape and size are cut. Elements so prepared, however,

are of relatively thin unsubstantial appearance when laid on a roof, and it has been found that if the butt edges, which are the most conspicuous part of the laid element to the observer, are suitably thickened, the result is a very marked improvement in the general appearance of the roof. The thickening of the butt edge portions of the element also serves to stiffen the exposed portions of the shingle and to prevent warping and curling of the corners of shingle-simulating tabs which are found in many of the more popular types of strip shingles. Roofing elements cut from a sheet of prepared roofing, as described, are also subject to a serious defect due to the cut edges which result from the operation of cutting the sheet into the individual elements. These cut edges leave out ends of fibers exposed to the weather alongthe butt edge of the roofing element when laid and providea means for the absorption of atmospheric moisture by the fibers of the felt ltee of the roofing element. The absorption of moisture into the roofing element in this way and the evaporation of moisture therefrom in dry weather, together with other effects of the weather, result in a tendency on the part of the felt base to sponge and of the exposed portions of the roofing element to warp and curl, thus reducing the weatherproofing quality of the-roof as a whole and shortening the life of the individual elements. Thus in applying material to the edge portion of a roofing element to thicken the same, it is advantageous to coat the butt edge itself as well as the edges of the slots which may have been cut in the element to define shinglesimulating tabs. By my invention, I provide a method for accomplishing these desirable "results, that is, for sealing the cut edges of the element which are to be exposed to the weather and positively forming a bead on the under side of the portions adjacent to the cut edges which will both stiffen these edges and add materially to the appearance of the roof as a whole when laid.

The invention can be better understood by reference to the drawing, of which Figure 1 is a. diagrammatic elevation of one form of apparatus for applying a coating of asphalt to the exposed surface and edges of a strip shingle in such a way that a narrow bead will be formed on the reverse side adjacent to the butt edge.

Figure 2 is an end elevation of the same. Figure 3 is a view of a plurality of strip shingles so treated, showing their appearance when laid on a roof.

Figure 4 is a View of the under side of a strip shingle of slightly different shape show-- Figure 7 is a vertical section of a strip shingle which has been coated on its exposed surface and edges and has been provided with a bead on the portion adjacent the butt edge.

Figure 8 is a diagrammatic view of an-- other apparatus for coating and beading roofing elements. 1

Referring to the drawings in detail, Figures 1 and 2 show a spout or nozzle 10 which is suitably shaped to supply a vertically elongated jet of molten asphalt against the butt portion of the upper face of a strip shingle 11 which is suspended vertically as by suitable clamps'12 and conveyed in an endwise direction past the spout 10. The strip 11 may be a saturated felt blank out to shape, or it may be a roofing element cut from a sheet of coated and slated roofing such as is frequently put on the market as a finished product. Beneath the path of the strip shingle 11 is located a member 13 having a channel 14 formed in the top thereof and extending in the direction of motion of the strip shingle. The member 13 is so arranged that the butt edge portion of the strip shingle will travel therein as the shingle is progressed. Excess asphalt from the spout 10 will flow down into the channel 14 and keep it filled so that the asphalt therein will adhere to the reverse or under face ofthe strip shingle adjacent to the butt edge and will thus form a head thereon beside coating the butt edge itself. The designation of the faces of the shingle as upper and under has reference to the shingle as laid on a roof. It 'is obvious that the jet from the spout 10 will project through the cut-outs 15 of the strip, whatever shape these cut-outs may be, and will coat the cut edges thereof so that in this way the exposed portion of the upper face and the exposed cu't edges will all be completely coated with a continuous layer of asphalt and a head will be formed on the portion of the under face of the shingle adjacent to the butt edge. If the strips which are being coated are formed with rectangular tabs having vertical side edges as that shown in Figure 5), some of the asphalt which is projected through the slots in the strip will creep around the edges to the rear face as it trickles down and will form beads adj acent to these edges on tlierear face of the strip. In order to maintain the asphalt which collects in the channel 14: in fluid condition, the member 13 may be kept heated asby a steam pipe 16 or other suitable means. The spout may be adjusted vertically to regulate the upper limit of the coating applied thereby on the face of the shingle strip. If the latter has been cut from a coated and slated sheet, it is preferable to put the additional face coating only on the exposed portion of the face, that is, to such a height on the strip that the upper limit of the extra coating will be approximately in line with the butt edges of the strips in the course laid next above on thereof. In the case of certain shapes of strips, as for example that shown in Figure 3, small portions of the strip will appear through the cut-outs above the butt-edge line v 10. Instead of a channeled block for receiving the butt edge of the shingle, I provide in this case a series of pairs of rolls 17, 18 supported over a suitable container in angular relation to each other. The strip shingle 11 is preferably supported in such a way that its butt edgerides on the rollers 17 while a narrow portion of the reverse side of the strip adjacent the butt edge contacts with the rollers 18. The rollers 18 are preferably mounted for adjustment transversely of the container 19, this adjustment being for the purpose of regulating the Width of the bead of asphalt applied to the rear face adjacent to the butt edge. The asphalt from the nozzle 10 is directed against a portionof the surface of the strip shingle, the excess asphalt flowing downwardly and being distributed over the rollers 17, 18 or being caught by the container 19 beneath. The rollers may be kept heated to prevent the congealing of asphalt thereon by any suitable means. i

This can be easily accomplished by arranging them to be partially immersed in the hot asphalt held by the container 19, the latter being supplied with steam pipes or equivalent heating m'eansl This apparatus produces the same result as that shown in Figures 1 and 2, namely, a coating on the exposed portion of the front face of the strip shingle, on the exposed cut edges, and on the portion adjacent to the butt edges.

Another form of apparatus is illustrated in Figure 8. This comprises essentially a series of clamps 20 carried by a conveyor 21 and adapted to support strip shingles 11 vertically for motion in a direction perpendicular to their planes. In the path of the strip shingle is located a coating roll 22 which may dip directly into a supply of molten asphalt in a container 23 or may be fed therefrom as by a feed roll 24. The'rolls 22 and 24 are preferably geared together and are positively driven by suitable driving connections (not shown). Where coating asphalt is applied to strip shingles by a roll as in this case, it is desirable to pre-heat the shingles to insure a firm adhesion of the coating thereto. This may be done by any desired means such as anoven, through which the shingle may be carried by the conveyor. As each shingle strip is brought into Contact with the coating roll 22, it is allowed to swing to a tilted position as it is dragged over the surface of the roll, the clamps 20 being swingably mounted to allow free tilting motion of the strip shingles. The roll 22 is preferably driven in the direction of the conveyor at a peripheral speed somewhat greater than the linear speed of the conveyor 21, this resulting in a heaping up of coating material, as at 25, against the edges of the butt and cutouts as the shingle rides over the uppermost portion of the roll 22. The heaped up asphalt flows over the portions of the rear face of the shingle adjacent to the butt edges and the edges along the cut-outs, thus forming a bead 26 on those portions as indicated in Figure 7. It is to be understood that the element or shingle 11 shown in this figure may have been cut from a sheet of finished roofing material, i. e., roofing felt which has been saturated, coated and slated in a manner well known in the art. The various layers of material making up the sheet from which the element 11 is out are not indicated in Figure 7, the object being to avoid confusion of detail. This results in a face coating 27 of asphalt on the forward face of the strip shingle and also in a thorough coating all over the cut edges of the butt and cut-out portions. I

It will be noted that this form of apparatus is capable of coating any desired amount of the exposed face of the roofing element and also of forming a bead on the reverse face not only along the lower butt edge, but also along the edges of the cut-outs regardless of the shape of the latter. In the form of strip shingle shown in Figure 4:, for example, the forms of apparatus illustrated in Figures 1 and 5 would not be capable of forming the'complete head 26 adjacent to all the edges of the butt portion and cut-outs of the shingle, but would simply coat the front face and the edges themselves. In the case of a shingle strip formed with rectangular tabs as illustrated in Figure 5, however, the apparatus shown in Figure 5 will not only positively deposit a bead along the butt edge of the shingle, but a bead will also be formed part way upthe side edges of the cut-outs by some of the asphalt which is projected through theslots from a spout 10 and creeps around the vertical edges of the cut-outs.

The face coating 27, the edge coating and the head 26 are preferably surfaced with comminuted material, such as crushed slate or the like, to protect the coating from the action of the weather. The surfacing material is applied while the asphalt is hot and sticl and is pressed into the asphalt so that the particles are partially embedded therein and are firmly held in place. The surfacing step,

as well as the application of the asphalt, may be performed by hand, or suitable mechanism may be provided for that purpose.

I am aware that strip shingles have heretofore been formed by applying a sealing coat over the exposed areas of the front face and over a corresponding area of the rear face as well as the cut edges. The strip shingle produced by my invention as described hereinbefore has the advantage of lighter weight, while affording the same appearance of thickness on'the roof and the same amount of protection. The tabs also tend to lie closely against the course below since the weight of the tabs rests upon the narrow beads adjacent the butt edges. -Roofing. elements of this type also effect a considerable saving in coating asphalt without reducing the protec tive qualities of the shingle. It is obvious that this invention can be applied to roofing elements of the single or'multiple type of practically any shape, a few forms of the strip shingle type being illustrated in the drawing by way of example.

I am aware also that strip shingles have been re'coated on a face of their butt portions in such a way that the coating material has been allowed to run over the cut edges of the butt portion and 'to work under the edges to some extent. Such effects heretofore have been purely adventitious and no means have been disclosed for insuring the formation of a continuous bead along the portions of the back face of the element adjacent to all the edges of the butt and cut-outs. By my invention, I provide such means for positively extending the extra coating on the front face to form a bead on the back face adjacent to the edges, thereby giving the maximum thickness at the butt edge.

Having thus described an embodiment of my invention, it should be evident to those skilled in the art that many changes and modifications may be made therein without departing from its spirit or scope asdefined by the appended claims.

I claim:

1. Steps in the manufacture of roofing elements, which comprise applying a waterproofing coat to the exposed portion of the up per faceof a roofing element, and extending said coat to cover the exposed edges of the element and to form a narrow marginal area of coating on the under face thereof adjacent the butt edges. I

2. Steps in the manufacture of roofing elements, which comprise applying a coating of waterproofing material to .the exposed portion of the upper face of a roofing element, extending said coating to cover all exposed edges of the element and to form a narrow y marginal area of coating on the under face of the element adjacent to the butt edges, and surfacing said coating with grit.

3. Steps in the manufacture of roofing elements, which comprise applying a coating of i waterproofing material to the exposed portion of the upper face of a roofing element, extending said coating to cover all exposed edges of the element and to form a narrow marginal area of coating on the under face of the element extending continuously along all said edges and adjacent thereto, and surfacing said coating with grit.

4. A roofing element having a coating of waterproofing material covering the exposed portion of the upper face of the element and the adjacent edges of the element and forming a continuous narrow marginal area of coating on the under face of the element adjacent to said edges, and a surfacing of grit adhering to said coating.

5. Steps in the manufacture of strip shingles having slots extending upwardly from their butt edges, comprising applyinga coat of waterproofing material to the exposed portion of the upper face of a strip shingle, and.

extending the coating material over all the edges of said exposed portion, including the butt edges, the edges of the slots, andthe exposed end edges, and forming with said coating a narrow marginal layer extending 'on the under face of the shilwle continuously along and adjacent to all said coated edges.

6. A strip shingle with slots extending upwardly from the butt edge thereof to define tabs, said shingle having a coating of waterproofing material covering the exposed portion of the upper face thereof and extending over all the edges bounding said exposed portion, said coating also forming a narrow marginal layer on the under face of the shingle extending continuously along and adjacent to the coated edges.

7. Steps in the manufacture of a roofing element, which comprise forming a film of molten coating material, bringing one face of a cut-out roofing unit in contact with said film and heaping coating material along the butt edges of the unit and upon the opposite face of the unit along the butt edges thereof.

8. Steps in the manufacture of a roofing element, which comprise forming a film of molten coating material, bringing one face of a cut-out roofing unit in contact with said film and causing said film to move relatively to said unit in a direction from the butt edge of the unit toward the head thereof, whereby a portion of said film is heaped against the butt edges of the unit and on marginal portions of the unit adjacent to the butt edges.

In testimony whereof I have afiixed my signature.

LESTER KIRSOHBRAUN.

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